Syria denies Israel bombed nuclear site

DAMASCUS, Syria, Oct. 17 (UPI) -- Syria on Wednesday denied a U.N. delegate said Israel's target in a Sept. 6 airstrike was a nuclear facility, state media reported.

On Tuesday, a U.N. news release paraphrased Syrian U.N. Ambassador Bashar al-Jaafari as saying a nuclear facility was hit but the state-run SANA news agency quoted a Foreign Ministry official as refuting the claim.

However, Israeli Foreign Ministry Deputy Director General for Strategic Affairs Miriam Ziv, who took part in the U.N. meeting, confirmed Jaafari had made the remark, Haaretz reported.

Israel has said almost nothing about the attack while Syria has variously said the target was an unused military facility or an agricultural research facility, Ynetnews reported.

Saturday, The New York Times said the site was a nuclear reactor, modeled on one North Korea had built.